Rejections are like falling off your motorbike

I wasn’t one of those people who thought they would always write a novel, and equally I wasn’t someone who thought about being a bikie chick either.  My daughter had mentioned wanting to learn to ride and I said I would too. I didn’t think it would actually happen, after all you know what eighteen year olds are like. So when she said she was going to get her learners and you’re coming too mum, I didn’t have a leg to stand on. All I had ever done in the past was ride a moped back in the UK and been pillion on my husband’s bike so this was a huge step for me.

So I turn up at the learner’s course and don’t do too bad until the test where I freeze. Maybe the thought of having a licence that says I can go on the road was freaking me out. Second attempt and I thought I was doing okay until the test day when I had an instructor who was a male chauvinist pig to say the least. So I was not surprised when he didn’t pass me. Third time same guy failed me again. I was in tears and decided I would never do it again, and why was I putting myself through this.

Unbeknownst to me my husband and friend phoned up and complained about the instructor (they were not the first complaint about him) and I was given another chance. I passed with flying colours without Mr Grumpy around.

Over the next two years I practiced and decided to go for my full test. In the meantime the test centre had moved to the other side of town and I had to ride through a thunderstorm in during peak hour traffic and unfortunately didn’t pass.

I had another month before I could retake my test and there was a motorbike club get together in Mildura so I decided to ride the 400km. My husband and friends were saying are you sure you can do it, but I had to prove to myself that I was serious about wanting this. Now I’m not usually fearless and on the freeway I would get freaked out by the big trucks passing and the wind gusts blowing me around. My solution was to sing Akuna Mutate very loudly. It worked even if I probably looked demented.

Eventually did my test and past. That was last year and now I look back and have to say the experience taught me something about myself. When you fall off or get a rejection you should get back up and keep writing or get back on the bike no matter how bruised you are.

Be determined and persevere until you get there. I’m still not super brave but when I ride through a busy city now I break it up into small pieces so that I don’t get overwhelmed by what I am doing, and I can do the same with writing. Before I know it I’ve got there.

Years ago I did a fortune telling game and asked the question of whether I would get published. The answer that came back from the cards was to enjoy the journey. Now I do with the wind blowing in my hair.

As for my publication journey I have a novella called Blood Scent coming out with Rogue Phoenix Press in July and a book with Soul Mate Publishing called Hidden Mortality in 2014. I have been writing for ten years and have had more rejections than you could poke a stick at, but like with my bike I got up brushed myself off and tried again.

The top picture is me practising my tight u turns. It’s a killer at a slow pace but I mastered it eventually. The second picture was me riding in the Pink Ribbon Ride for breast cancer, hence the pink bras on our bikes. I am on the middle bike. Even my hubby put a bra on his big cruiser.

Thanks Maggie for that inspirational and encouraging story! And I’m sure we all can’t wait for your novella. In the meantime, you can checkout Maggie at her website and on Facebook and Twitter!! 

And I’d like to know – what thing have YOU done, where you’ve had to keep trying and trying again until you succeed?

I’m smiling and drinking pink bubbly tonight because I just finished the final read through of my October release OUTBACK DREAMS. The final read through actually included a LOT of tweaks – that’s just the way I roll – and it’s good to have finally pushed send. OUTBACK DREAMS is the first in at least three books about the people of Bunyip Bay (a fictional town in Western Australia). It is Faith Forrester and Daniel (Monty) Montgomery’s story and they’ve been best friends in like forever.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what the talented peeps at Harlequin Australia do for this cover but in the meantime, I thought I’d share a small extract with you. There’ll be more tasters nearer the release date I promise.

From chapter six OUTBACK DREAMS:

He sat at the bar, tapping his boots along to the country music belting out from the stereo and chatting to Liam the publican when he wasn’t serving his few customers. Currently the only people in the pub were a local family with three young kids having an early counter meal and two old men who spent more time here than they did at home.

A shadow fell behind him and then a hand clapped firmly against his back. ‘What are you having, mate?’ came Adam’s jovial voice. ‘The drinks are on me tonight, well at least the first few anyway.’

‘I thought farmers were supposed to be hard-up,’ Liam said, as he pulled a couple of pint glasses down from a shelf.

Adam laughed. ‘We are. But we know how to prioritise, right Monty?’

Monty managed to open his mouth but his throat was so clogged up with emotion, he almost couldn’t speak. He took a moment, and then let out a short, ‘yeah.’

A farmer. After all these years.

When their beers landed on the bar, Adam raised his for a toast. ‘Welcome to my world – dumb sheep, no rain and long hours on a tractor.’

As they drank to this the pub door swung open. Monty turned, hoping to see Ruby. He’d asked her to join them when he’d popped into The Ag Store for some supplies on Wednesday, but she hadn’t given him a definite answer. Nevertheless, her response, ‘I’ll try,’ had kept him on a high since. His shoulders slumped as a horde of guys he’d worked with on the crayfish boats spilled into the pub. He was happy to see them, and would probably miss them when they weren’t colleagues anymore, but they weren’t Ruby.

There was just something about Robert and Lyn Jones’ daughter that had captured his attention – okay, and the attentions of the other single blokes in Bunyip – the moment she’d moved to town. Although she had the looks of a supermodel, she kept pretty much to herself. He’d asked her out a few times before and she’d politely declined, but Monty wasn’t one to give up when he wanted something.

‘Monty, my main man!’ A lanky bloke who didn’t look like he could lift one crayfish – never mind a whole crate of them – slapped Monty on the back.

‘Hey Curtis,’ he said with a grin.

The other blokes offered their congratulations and voiced their disappointment that Monty wouldn’t be working with them anymore. Then Kyle, coming back from his first trip to the men’s room, froze. Staring ogle-eyed at the pub entrance he finally let out a wolf-whistle. Everyone swung round to see what, or rather who, had got Kyle’s balls in a twist. Monty’s mouth was the first to drop open.

Faith.

Her smile filled her whole face as his gaze met hers. His mouth went dry. Ryan came in behind her and they started towards the bar. She strode liked she’d been walking in knee-high eff-me boots her whole damn life. A titillating pink dress fell way above her knees, showcasing legs that usually only wore jeans or denim shorts. And her hair. What had she done with her hair?

It swished around her shoulders as she sashayed toward them. It looked so soft, silky, and golden blonde, a few shades lighter than her usual chocolate. His fingers twitched around his beer glass as the craziest thought of sliding them through Faith’s hair hit him like a sucker punch to the gut.

Before he could digest this thought and work out what the hell to do with it, Ryan and Faith were amongst them.

Adam lifted a hand in greeting and Faith grinned at her audience of open-mouthed men. ‘Evening boys.’

The look on his mates’ faces reminded Monty his own jaw was still scraping the ugly carpeted floor and he picked it up quick fast. While the guys fell all over each other trying to win the honour of buying Faith’s first drink, Monty sidled up beside her.

‘Do I know you?’

Typical Faith style, she socked him in the arm.

He rubbed at the spot, pretending she’d bruised him. ‘Hey, just saying. You look different tonight.’

‘Different, huh? You sure know how to compliment a girl.’

Shaking the shocking thoughts that were really circling his head, he raised his eyebrows. ‘All right. You look amazing. Is that better? When did you get your hair done?’

‘This morning.’ Lifting fingers, which were covered in pink nail polish he’d previously thought alien to Faith, she ran them through the ends of her hair. ‘You like?’

‘Yes.’ He grinned, then leaned in close. ‘I think every bloke in the pub likes.’

‘Good. Then my mission is half-accomplished.’

‘What’s the rest of the mission?’

She wriggled her eyebrows at him and hissed in his ear, ‘To get one of them to ask me back to his place.’

A muscle at the side of his neck twinged as he thought about the prospect of one of the guys taking Faith home. Yes, they were all mates but were any of them good enough for her? Would they respect her, treat her right? Or would they simply take advantage of her current mental state?

‘You don’t know what to say, do you?’ Faith was clearly amused.

That wasn’t strictly true. He wanted to tell her to be careful. That the way she looked now made her a danger to herself in a room full of red-blooded males. ‘Sure I do. I was just thinking about which of these blokes could actually handle you.’

‘Don’t you worry your pretty little head.’ She waved her index finger in front of his nose. ‘I’ll be the judge of that.’

With that promise, she turned on her impressive heels and entered the circle of men waiting with drinks. Within seconds, someone had given her a glass of wine but it looked out of place in her grasp, considering her usual drink of choice was beer.

More closer to October

So, thanks for coming today Fiona to give readers a little insight into what you get up to when you’re not writing. Welcome!

When I asked my 14 year-old what I should blog about outside of writing, he said, ‘there’s nothing’ to which I said, ‘Go clean your room.’  Recently, with a short deadline, it seems that my life is all work but that’s not strictly true. We, as a family, like to cycle.

Last year, I took this cycling caper to an extreme and went on the Great Victorian Bike Ride where not only did I ride 590 kilometres over nine days, I also did with a group of 14 year-olds. That made it even more of a challenge but we got every kid up every hill…and there were a LOT of hills. We also got through every type of weather from hail and sleet to scorching heat. Were there times when I asked myself, ‘Why?’ Hell, yes! Am I glad I did it? Absolutely? Would I do it again? Yes, but not with the school. I would do it with my husband or friends.

Later this year I’m off to France on a cycling trip with my husband. We’re cycling along the Canal du Midi where I believe there is a scarcity of hills although if after a couple of days of flattish riding and I am pining for hills, I can cycle up behind the glorious fortified French town of Carcassonne.   Apparently, we will be riding through an area filled with vineyards so that will involve some wine tasting and of course in France, one is never far from a patisserie with amazing coffee, bread and cakes. Hmm, maybe I better ride up those hills behind Carcassonne after all!

Do you have any cycling stories to share?

In my not so secret life, I write books and I’m thrilled to say that Saved By The Bride, the first book in my Wedding Fever trilogy is out now!

Welcome to Whitetail, Wisconsin, future home of Weddings that WOW!

As acting mayor, Annika will do anything to revive the economy of the town that’s been her refuge ever since her art career imploded and her fiancé walked out. Even if it means crashing an engagement party to talk business with the bride’s billionaire father. But the evening starts with a kiss from a gorgeous stranger—and ends with a night in jail.

Finn Callahan can’t believe his sister is getting married, not after their parents’ disastrous track record. And he’d rather be anywhere than working from his family’s vacation home. Until he catches a leggy blonde sneaking in the window, and suddenly telecommuting for the season is very appealing.

Unable to resist their mutual attraction, Annika and Finn are soon mixing business and pleasure—just for the summer. Too bad Annika’s heart missed the memo about not falling in love…

Book one of Wedding Fever. 99,000 words

Check out the fabulous Saved By The Bride trailer.

Saved By the Bride is available from Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Carina Press, Kobo  iBooks, and all other eBook retailers.

You can find Fiona on Facebook and Twitter as well as at her home on the web.

Thanks so much for stopping by Fiona! I must admit I RARELY ride my bike – last time was during a family holiday to Rottnest Island in 2010 but I also admit that when I DO get around to it, I really enjoy it! 

Today you are in for a treat! Don’t tell but this is one of my favourite secret life posts yet!!! Maybe because I LOVE old buildings! A huge welcome to Crimson Romance author Suzi Love who writes historical romance from Regency to Victoria and even has a romantic name

Welcome Suzi!

Oooh, do I really have to spill my secrets? I’m really rather boring. Shy, retiring, and quiet as I tell my friends.

*I have to butt in here and say from romance conferences I really don’t think any of you should believe that*

But in my secret life, I have an addiction. I’m obsessed with museums, big, small, and especially the obscure ones. And I love photographing all the weird and wonderful things I discover in museums. My obsession is so well known to my family that they run for the hills at the first hint of a photo viewing session.

After I went to a Romance Writers USA conference in New York, I decided a quick hop across the ocean to London and Bath and a hundred or so museums needed to be squeezed into the agenda. I came home with 10,000 photos. So I guess I can’t blame my family for running. Grin!

Do you want a taste of the best places I’ve visited in my secret life?

No. 1 The Pierpont Morgan Library/Museum in New York. In the early 1900s, Pierpont Morgan used the multi-tiered library as his personal office. The library holds his priceless collections of rare books, gold leafed medieval works, literary and music manuscripts, including the ‘First’ works of practically every historical celebrity in the world. Visitors, especially me, stand in the middle, rotate slowly, and stare upwards, awe-struck at level upon level of priceless books.

No.2. The Ragged Children Museum London. A rambling multistory old house that helped feed, clothe, and educate tens of thousands of poor children under Thomas Barnardo’s scheme. After a cholera epidemic swept through the East End, Barnado gave up his medical training to open his first “ragged school” in 1867 and for the next thirty-one years educated children. Now school groups dress in Victorian clothes and live a ragged school day.

No.3   We can’t forget Australia, can we? How about a squatter’s house in outback Queensland?

My second secret life?

Is a fascination with Keanu Reeves and…..his secret life!

Interviewers are always stunned by his intelligence, charm, and air of mystery. Yet he’s well known for having high-brow reading tastes despite having dyslexia, has written a book of poems, directs as well as acts, owns his own production company, and is extremely generous to his coworkers and charities. Apart from the fact that I’ve met him twice and he’s ten times sexier close up and his sultry voice and hand holding made me go weak at the knees.

Thanks so much for stopping by Suzi and sharing some of your passions! I’m curious readers – have you got a museum that Suzi needs to put on her must-see list?

You can find Suzi at her Web, on  Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!

Her two novels The Viscount’s Pleasure House and Embracing Scandal have both done well in RWAustralia contests and are now published with Crimson Romance.  

The Viscount’s Pleasure House - An erotic story set in England in the risqué early Victorian era. In exchange for information about his mother and sisters, London’s most notorious Viscount is coerced into allowing three respectable women to visit his Pleasure Houses. The goal of the ladies is to learn how to hold men’s attention by giving them exquisite pleasure. Each lady comes to the pleasure gardens a little naïve, but leaves as knowledgeable as a well schooled courtesan. Though the world-weary viscount falls in head over heels in love with one of the ladies, he struggles to find reasons to convince her to trust him, and to marry him, after their visit to the country Pleasure House is over.

Buy links –  Amazon  Barnes and Noble  iTunes  All Romance

Embracing Scandal - Lady Rebecca Jamison, a mathematical genius, saves her siblings from financial ruin by dabbling in the London stock exchange. When a greedy syndicate kills her friend and threatens her family, Becca begs assistance from Cayle, Duke of Sherwyn, her nemesis and previous friend. As Cayle and Becca rekindle old passions, the duke uses old skills as a spy to protect his lady. He successfully defeats the illegal consortium, but can Cayle persuade a self-sufficient spinster to become his duchess?

Buy Links - Amazon  Barnes and Noble  iTunes

]]> http://rachaeljohns.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/my-secret-life-with-suzi-love/feed/ 9 rachaeljohns Pierpont Morgan Library. Ragged_Children_Museum Outback_Queensland Keanu_Bare_chest_collage The_Viscounts_Pleasure_House_Original roses2 http://rachaeljohns.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/my-secret-life-with-margaret-lynette-sharp/ http://rachaeljohns.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/my-secret-life-with-margaret-lynette-sharp/#comments Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:32:51 +0000 rachael johns http://rachaeljohns.wordpress.com/?p=1780 Continue reading →]]> Today I have a lovely lady I met through Twitter and my blog, talking about what she does when she’s not writing – short story writer Margaret Lynette Sharp! I have not managed to master the art of writing short and I have a lot of respect for those who have, so welcome Margaret.

MY SECRET LIFE

Anyone who has skimmed through my blog will have more than an inkling of my ‘secret life’. Who can resist the burning temptation of writing about such things?

Many things I love: ranging from those at home, such as my hubby Ron, our young white Maltese cross, Chicki Rose, and our two blue budgies (Albert and Victoria), to activities such as swimming, dancing, playing the piano and accordion, painting in watercolour, and photography. Does this make me a dilettante? Who knows? I enjoy creating, and I enjoy beauty in its many forms.

I could talk at length about each of these, but now is not the time. For today, I’ve chosen a couple of my pet topics.

A Turning Point.

The wedding of my niece Kathy marked a turning point in more lives than hers and her partner’s, for it unstintingly helped to trigger two big changes in my life, too.

Firstly, it egged me on to start writing. Suddenly, I had realized with breathtaking: clarity: that life moves on.

Secondly, it introduced me to modern dancing: something I had never attempted, despite reaching middle age. In the beginning, I was more than reluctant to try: and horribly self-aware. But nowadays, as readers of my blog may know, Ron and I are regulars, and love dancing to the awesome band tunes of the 60′s to 80′s.

There’s a moral, here: you never know what you’re missing!

The Arrival of Chicki.

Those of you who have lost a beloved pet will know the heartbreak. Our sixteen year old Maltese, Trixie, had left us. Six weeks later, the void was just as deep.

Our vet, Ben, had schooled us on the virtues of choosing a rescue dog, and so the hunt began.

I spotted Chicki (under a different name) on the web-page of a fairly close RSPCA  animal shelter. She was thirteen months old, and had been there for weeks. I first saw her image on a Wednesday, but several days slipped by before we made the call. Yes, she was still available: yes, we could see her: no, they couldn’t put a hold on her. The latter piece of information gave us mounting cause for anxiety as we made that fateful half-hour drive. But, YES, she was still there: rather shy, very pretty, and like so many, in need. And we could adopt her! Our decision was made.

On the drive home, she showed such an intelligent interest in her surroundings: a characteristic that Ron found particularly endearing. We had, he believed, chosen well.

Ben had been right: he said that rescue dogs ‘know’. The degree of devotion she shows to us every day bears this out.

So, there you have it: a snippet of my ‘secret life’.

Most of my Short Story collections contain at least one or two stories that involve animals: and of these, it’s often the ownership of a dog that brings folks together who ultimately fell in love. Is it kindred spirits?

 Thanks for sharing that Margaret! There are a LOT of animal lovers amongst us I know In fact pets seem to be a bit of a secret life theme around here!

Margaret can be found on Twitter, Goodreads and she also regularly updates her blog.

Margaret’s latest short story collection is Encore: In common with Margaret’s previous works, ‘Encore‘ contains a selection of mainly romantic tales, overwhelmingly positive in theme. The author’s favourites include ‘At Sixteen: Annie’s Story’,'To the Beautiful Brigitte’, and ‘The Locket’. Comprising twenty-five stories, this is a highly readable, attractively presented volume. 

Encore is available on Amazon and at other stores if requested. As a special treat one of Margaret’s other collections – A Taste of Life and Love in Australia is currently discounted on Amazon for Kindle at only 99c.

I met Ros (don’t know if she remembers) at the RWA conference on the Gold Coast last year – she had recently had her fourth child (I KNOW – I thought three was full-on) baby and the delightful little cherub was making lots of people smile all over the conference. 

Anyway… I’ll stop rambling and let Ros give you a little insight into what she gets up to when she’s not writing. Don’t forget to read the blurb for FISH OUT OF WATER at the end!

Welcome Ros…

Secrets. Even the word conjures up dark and spicy things, hidden in the lush places of our hearts.

And I remember when I used to have them.

Children have a way of changing all that. Not only do they leave little room for tantalising other lives, they transform you into a semi-public figure through their insatiable curiosity.

I find myself telling my children things I wouldn’t tell a friend, a lover or even a therapist.  And I’m not sure why.  Maybe just because they ask (all the time) and I’m caught off-guard (and without a convenient cover story). Things about what I just did in the toilet. The meanest name anyone ever called me. Whatever happened to that pre-Daddy boyfriend they saw in that old photograph.

And in return, they take these secret things and broadcast them to the world.

Mummy did a number two.  It’s okay, she flushed.

Mummy’s ears stick out.  But don’t call her wing-nut.  It’s unkind.

That boy had a bad temper. Mummy says it’s okay to feel angry; it’s what you do about it.

The only secrets I have left are kind of vanilla.  And the kids aren’t so interested.  So let me share three of them with you.

1) I spent a looooonnnng time studying serious things and have a serious day job.

I studied a PhD in law at the University of Sydney and sometimes I make my family call me Dr Ros just to remind them that I do know some stuff.  Okay, I don’t really do that, but let me tell you – when an eight year old looks at you dubiously after you tell him the capital of Iceand, it’s really tempting. When I’m not doing my favourite thing (writing fiction) I work for the Australian Government (more specifically, I work in the area of Indigenous policy, which I’m completely passionate about – just ask anyone I’ve ever cornered for a chat on the issue).  While I like to think I bring my writing skills to the table in my day job, occasionally I will get told my brief is just a little too sexy. Oh well, you can’t win ‘em all.

2) I’m a worrier (actually that’s maybe not so secret).  But specifically, I often wake up in the night worrying about whether I’m doing good.

I grew up with parents who told us ALL THE TIME that no-one was just a drop in the ocean, and that you should use your talents for good (whatever that is).  At the moment, I’m really excited about a short story competition I’ve developed for Indigenous high school girls in remote Australia: tomorrowgirl. I’m a huge believer in the transformative power of stories and I’m blown away by the talent I’m discovering among young women in remote Australia

3) And my biggest, dirtiest secret?  I have a salacious fantasy that obsesses me most days.  It  involves a bed, chocolate, a dark, rainy night and a stack of unread books.  *sigh*

Thanks for having me Rachael.  I hope readers will find my mermaid’s secrets far more exciting!

Thank YOU for coming!!! I cannot WAIT to read about your mermaid’s secrets. Speaking of which, here’s the blurb for FISH OUT OF WATER (I dare you to read it and not want to read the whole thing):

You can email Ros at rosbaxterink@gmail.com or find her at www.facebook.com/RosBaxterInk, on twitter @RosBaxter, or www.rosbaxterink.com

But MOST importantly, you can buy FISH OUT OF WATER from Amazon, iBooks and Escape Publishing.

As I jumped wildly around the room and my bemused child looked on not quite knowing WHAT to think, I totally forgot the fact it was April Fools Day. I called my family and emailed all my friends. One of my good writing friends said, ‘Are you sure it’s not an April Fools’ Day!?’

Oh MY!

I hadn’t even contemplated that! But it wasn’t. Turns out editors might be scary and (between you and I) they sometimes seem to operate on a TOTALLY different calendar to us mere mortals, they are not cruel! And it WAS true!!

Angela James and my fabulous Carina editor Charlotte Herscher loved my story about a girl dressed up as a Christmas Fairy and her grumpy boss. ONE PERFECT NIGHT came out eight months later, but in that time, I sold my second book – JILTED – to the lovely Haylee Nash at Harlequin Australia.

Since then I have published two more books, have a fifth coming out in October this year (OUTBACK DREAMS) and am contracted for two more books. There have been so many highs during this time:

• See covers for the first time – not much comes close to this buzz for me
• Being voted Australia’s 10th favourite novelist in this year’s Booktopia’s Australia’s Favourite Novelist contest.
• Being nominated for an ARRA Award last year for ONE PERFECT NIGHT and this year for JILTED.
• WINNING Favourite Contemporary Romance with JILTED at this years Australian Romance Readers Convention.
• Finding my fabulous agent Helen Brietweiser at Cornerstone Literary Agency.
• Selling JILTED to HQN, which means it will soon be published in North America as well as down under.

One the other side of the published fence, it is not all chocolates and roses. My dream has come true in that writing is now not merely a hobby but one of my three full-times jobs (yeah, work that out). But this means that I have to write even when I’m not at all in the mood. I constantly deal with doubt crows and demons telling me I can’t do this and that my successes thus far have been a fluke.

Okay… I can’t think of many more downsides – it IS mostly chocolates and roses! And my dream/goal now is to keep it up. To keep improving my craft and developing my story telling skills. To keep writing books that readers email thanking me for! Oh, I’m getting a little teary thinking about what an honour it is have a reader trust me enough to give up a few hours of their life with my book!

So… two years on from getting THE EMAIL that changed my life in many ways, I want to THANK everyone who has been on some of the journey with me – my family, my friends, my publishers, my editors, my agent, RWAus and most of all my readers!

Books are written to be READ!

NB. Currently a number of online stores have the ebooks of MAN DROUGHT and JILTED at reduced prices:

Google Play – Man Drought at $1.01

Google Play – Jilted at $2.50

Kobo Books – Jilted at $4.99

Amazon – Man Drought at $5.21

]]> http://rachaeljohns.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/a-fools-day-anniversary/feed/ 16 rachaeljohns oneperfectnight_general Jilted_front 0113_ManDrought_C2 (1) StandInStar_final http://rachaeljohns.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/my-secret-life-with-maggie-gilbert/ http://rachaeljohns.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/my-secret-life-with-maggie-gilbert/#comments Wed, 27 Mar 2013 23:38:39 +0000 rachael johns http://rachaeljohns.wordpress.com/?p=1755 Continue reading →]]> Today I’m BEYOND excited to welcome debut author Maggie Gilbert to my blog. Maggie has written what I have been thinking about writing for a while but she’s actually done it! Well, I haven’t actually been thinking about writing Maggie’s particular book but rather the genre. Her debut novel RIDING ON AIR is a Young Adult Rural Romance from Escape publisher. For a while I have thought about how great it would be if someone combined the hugely popular rural romance with the hugely popular YA! 

I for one can’t wait to read RIDING ON AIR and I’d like to offer a HUGE welcome to Maggie today, sharing with us what she does when she’s not writing:

I’d love to be able to say that my life when I’m not writing is something exotic or amazing. Neuroscientist. Drummer in a rock band. Olympic ice skater.

But it isn’t any of those things. It’s just a life, totally ordinary – at least until my childhood dream of being a published author came true.  Now it’s a bit more exciting!

My not-writing life is largely taken up with my full time job – I’m an administration officer for an Agricultural Society, where I administer the horse events for a Royal Agricultural Show. The Society also runs a bunch of other events so essentially I’m in event management with an agricultural focus. The job has a lot of variety so it’s always interesting and one of my little secrets is that I actually like admin work. Shh, don’t tell anyone – it’s way too geeky to admit to that!

It is awesome though that the horse-mad obsession I was pretty much born with has paid off with a job that is so satisfying. I got my first pony when I was 10 and I had horses for many years, doing a bit of riding club, a bit of showing and jumping and eventing. I’d come in from putting my horse away and then stay up late reading or writing stories of my own. And of course horses feature in my debut book!

Now here’s a secret – horses are actually only my third-favourite animal. I like dogs the best. Here are our two dogs, Aeryn and Hannah. Aren’t they cute?

The number two animal: giraffes. I collect giraffes, but I haven’t managed to get a real one. Yet.

I also like to read whenever I can, although carving the time out can be tricky; my ‘to be read’ pile is enormous and growing. Being able to download eBooks has made it even worse; I just got a Galaxy Note II, which is awesome to read on. I have a bit of a library addiction, too – I brought 8 books home with me yesterday when I was meant to be collecting 3! Until a few years ago I never had books in the house waiting to be read, I would buy or borrow something, and read it immediately. It’s a nice feeling though, to have all those books squirrelled away, waiting for a rainy day – or a week’s holiday.

Another thing I like to do is garden but I am a sporadic and therefore terrible gardener. Here’s a picture of my Wild Iris, which has finally flowered after 7 years of neglect.

I like to run, too. I did cross country at school but I’m older now and (ahem) less fit. I’m just about to start some pre-running fitness training, so I can ease back into running and hopefully avoid the calf muscle issues that keep interrupting my running program. My calves are full of scar tissue, so they are like blocks of concrete with steel bars running through them. Healthy calf muscle is meant to be kind of squishy – who knew?

So there you have it, the life of Maggie Gilbert when not-writing – a day job, cute dogs, neglected gardens, a bad library habit, cranky calf muscles and a sneaky plan to acquire a giraffe.

Hmm – the bit about the giraffe? That should probably stay a secret.

 NO Maggie – I LOVE that you love giraffes! I am imagining all kinds of them all over your house. Maybe one day you’ll be rich enough to buy a zoo and fulfil the dream of owning a giraffe! 

Maggies book RIDING ON AIR officially releases April 1st but it’s already available on pre-order all over the place – Amazon and iBooks to name but a few. You can also order from Escape Publishing direct. 

Here’s the fabulous blurb:

What can you do when your own hands are the enemy? Hold on tight, for as long as it takes.

Melissa has secrets. Sure it’s pretty obvious she has Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, but no one knows how bad it is or how many pills she takes for the pain. She’s determined to make her horse Jinx into a champion and she dreams that her childhood friend William will one day see her, rather than her condition. 

So when William asks her out and Jinx is shortlisted for selection in an elite training program, it seems Melissa’s dreams have come true. But when her secrets are exposed, all those dreams come crashing down around her. Can William ever forgive her? And can she learn about letting go in time to truly ride on air when it matters most?

Maggie can be found on the web at her website, Twitter and Facebook! Go on over and make friends

 QUESTION for blog visitors – If you’re a reader what genre to you think has yet to be written

So, please accept my apologies for the silence on this blog. I promise I have some fabulous guests lined up over the next few weeks talking about their Secret Lives – or rather the things they do when they’re not writing!

But a quick update from me:

• Outback Dreams (due to be released October 1st) is in the final stages of edits. I’m at the nitpicky stage were each sentence is analysed, deconstructed, pulled about and put back together to make it flow and read easier. At this stage I’m sure my poor editor must seriously start to get sick of the book
• Outback Blaze is well and truly started. I have written almost 20k words of the second book in my Bunyip Bay books. These books will be able to be read on their own but there is one small thread that carries through the three books and many of the characters feature in all three. This book is my first book where I’ve included an element of suspense and while I’m enjoying this IMMENSELY, it’s also a little terrifying. There’s a lot of police and fire protocol, which I’m hoping against hope I get right!

If you’re interested, you can check out my PINTEREST boards for both books here.

• Reading – my goal of reading two books a week is failing dismally, or rather I am failing it. With so much editing and writing to do, I’m barely managing one book a week But I recently finished Jenn J McLeod’s gorgeous House For All Seasons and I’m thoroughly enjoying Fiona Palmer’s The Sunburnt Country! Of course the TBR pile continues to grow because I cannot resist buying more and more.
• Non-writing life – One of my best friends from school married an English boy and the rest of my friends from school (whom I’m still really close too) hadn’t seen her in five years, but she’s currently visiting Perth, so I’m making the most of that. Friday night the six of us (friends from school) had a high-school style slumber party, the first in almost fifteen years. We didn’t go to sleep till 4am and needless to say I’m STILL paying for it.

Anyway just wanted to say Hi and explain why my posts have been few and far between. Once OUTBACK DREAMS is officially off my hands, I’ll endeavour to pop in here more

Welcome Jenn…

My secret life is not so secret if you go to www.wagtailcottage.com.au  Wagtail Cottage is my very special B&B, purpose-built to provide the dog-loving traveller with a clean, comfy, secure spot to stop so the whole family can relax.

And I make no secret of the fact: I LOVE DOGS!

Just like a house is not a home without a dog, a novel is not a story without a dog (or two, or three!) Dogs not only feature in my novel, House for all Seasons, they star. (Well, I think so!)

Just as an author creates human characters with a bits of one person and bits of another, my dog characters are a mix of furry fabulousness! I have added an excerpt from House for all Seasons below but let me introduce you to a couple of characters from the book right now.

Meet Karma (see down below), the inspiration behind Dr Caitlin Wynter’s beloved mutt (written into the very first draft) and Bob the smiling dog. (Karma belongs to writing buddy, Shayne Sands, and Bob belongs to Annie Seaton.

BOB:

In House for all Seasons, Karma shares the doggy spotlight with Shrapnel (described by his Vietnam vet owner as “a bloody pain in the arse you can’t get rid of.”.) My doggy characters in book two – Simmering Season (out this time next year) – were inspired by four-legged guests to my B&B.

So how did my secret dog-loving life evolve?

In 2004 I gave up my corporate communications/PR role, swapping Sydney’s corporate chaos for a little café culture and buying a small eatery, in a small coastal town, but with big plans to focus on my writing and a new life in the country.

It was like coming home.

You see, I’d travelled this big brown land in my twenties; two women working their way across the heart of Australia, living out of a converted Ford F100 van. For three years I worked anywhere I could, doing anything I could; an approach that kick-started a diverse range of work experiences once back in Sydney, including a stint in a five-star hotel providing security for international celebrities and dignitaries (and collecting stories I can never tell!)

I lasted four years in the café (it nearly killed me. And I developed a great respect for hospitality and service workers). The B&B was something I’d always wanted to do (kind of like having a book on a bookshelf one day.) I feel rather blessed to be living both dreams now, although none of it has happened without a lot of trying, tears and tantrums (and that’s just learning the café business!)

Making the decision to leave the city in pursuit of a simpler lifestyle was THE best thing I could have done. Now, I admit a tree change isn’t on everyone’s list and it is a huge decision. My advice to anyone contemplating a move is to research your options and be as well informed as humanly possible. Then just do it. That ‘oh my goodness, we are actually going to do this” decision moment is the hardest part. Once you master that, and train yourself to not let the detail bog you down, you’ll be less likely to chicken out when the “it’s all too scary, too hard, too risky” moment hits you. Be focused, determined and positive and keep moving forward—never back. You may be surprised, as I was, how things fall into place.

Now for that doggy House for all Seasons excerpt I promised starring Karma:

~~~~~~~~~~

Not even Karma seemed keen to get out of the car. They both stayed put, a sense of coming home warming Cait against the night air. Her body relaxed. Even her toes uncurled after being clawed and tense from the drive.

She was sure it wasn’t normal to love a dog so much, but the thought didn’t stop her. Karma had no expectations and made no demands.

‘Faithful to the end, aren’t you?’ she whispered, stroking the dog and feeling the heat radiating from under the short, spotted brown on white coat. The vet at the shelter had suggested the white coat was the Dalmatian bit, but it had been the way the dog smiled—a curious combination of bared teeth and gums and a wagging tail—that won her heart.

‘Don’t look at me like that.’ Caitlin stifled a yawn. ‘I told you not to drink so much water.’

At six o’clock she’d driven out of her Blue Mountains hideaway, mindful of the dangerous coating of black ice on the road. Sydney was in for a cold winter. Did that mean Calingarry Crossing would be colder? Anything above zero would be fine; Cait quite enjoyed the crispness of the cooler seasons. Sydney’s Blue Mountains was no place for people who didn’t enjoy extreme temperatures. Extreme was good, usually. Extreme anything made for a welcome blip in Doctor Caitlin Wynter’s flat-lining life.

After crawling through several traffic snarls on the F3 freeway, including the clean up of an earlier southbound fatality, she had finally hit open road. At last a chance to enjoy her new car, one she’d prefer not to christen with pee.

She glared at her passenger. ‘You’ve got more than enough legs to cross, so I suggest you cross them. Not long now.’

Had it been just her, Cait would have kept driving, but there was no ignoring the big brown eyes and the hangdog look from the passenger seat. She eased off the accelerator to slow the Volkswagen Beetle cabriolet, still new enough to have that showroom smell, an aroma so desirable that the salesman had presented her with a spray bottle of the stuff. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that ingesting potentially life-shortening spray scents was not on her list of necessities. She much preferred nature’s perfume. Even dusty country roads invoked fond memories for Caitlin.

Despite her initial reluctance to subject her shiny new baby to Calingarry Crossing’s local roads, Cait was now glad. Nothing like a new car to make a long trip more fun. Being able to put the top down and turn up the music added to her enjoyment. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons was the best driving music, although she doubted the composer had intended it to be so. With the car gliding over a country road soaked in sun, an invigorating winter wind whipping her hair out from under the retro headscarf, the car’s heater on full throttle to warm her legs, Cait let loose with her very best Meg Ryan, knowing only the cows and galahs would hear her.

‘Yes! Yes! Oh, yes!’

Pulling as far to the side of the narrow strip of bitumen as the unsealed shoulder allowed, she stopped in the shade of some roadside gums. The cluster of trees stretched straight and tall, creating dappled sunlight across the road and adjacent paddocks.

She’d made repeated stops to stretch all six of their legs and to drink coffee, or in Karma’s case, water; hence the dog’s need to pee—again.

The stop was timely, allowing Caitlin to secure the roof back in place, the cool, late afternoon air reminding her that winter in Calingarry Crossing meant cold nights and frosty mornings.

‘Time to grab something warmer to wear first,’ she said to the big but obedient fur-person in the brown spotted coat.

Karma was Caitlin’s best friend, constant companion and even confidante. They’d spent so many nights ‘talking’ together, lamenting the lack of romance in their lives. Caitlin would laugh, ruffle Karma’s ears and say, ‘I know what those eyes of yours are telling me: that there’s hope for those of us who haven’t, you know, been fixed.’

‘Sorry about that, girl. Now, are you going to pee or not?’

Karma raced off, losing herself in the paddock of tall grass, nose down, tail up and wagging like billy-o.

‘And don’t you dare roll in anything out there,’ Cait called out, her gaze flitting between her watch and the setting sun. ‘Hurry up, girl, time we got moving.’

She buried her head in the car boot, struggling to budge the medical bag her mother had presented to Caitlin in the days following Joseph Wynter’s funeral, with the words, ‘More befitting your station as a country doctor, my dear.’ While touched that her mother had chosen her as the recipient, the chunky, third-generation bag unfortunately now occupied a third of the Beetle’s boot, making it impossible to access the suitcase properly. She grabbed the first thing she put her hand on—warm, woollen and white—and slipped her arms through the sleeves, wrapping both front panels of the cashmere cardigan tight, tucking them snugly around her body.

‘Good Karma. Come on girl.’

Caitlin whistled. She loved the sight of her best friend bounding towards her through the fields of green; sure beat the overcrowded dog park down the road from the Penrith Medical Centre.

At the far end of the paddock, distant but drawing nearer, a billowing dust cloud spiralled into the air. A willy-willy traversing the unsealed crossroad she’d passed a few hundred metres back was Cait’s first thought, until she heard the bassy doof-doof of speakers and the roar of a straining engine growing nearer. Dread stopped her mid-whistle, her head toing and froing between the fast-moving dust cloud and her best mate bounding towards her obediently.

‘No, Karma, no.’ She held out both hands as if they possessed magical stopping powers, but her faithful friend kept running. ‘No!’

~~~~~

Thanks SO much for coming on my blog today Jenn and sharing your passion for dogs.  You can connect with Jenn through her website, Twitter and Facebook and House for all Seasons is available in bookstores and online from Amazon, Kobo, iTunes and Booktopia.

In the meantime readers, I’m curious… are you more a cat person or a dog person!?